Unexpected Aftermath

[Since When Was I The Hero?-!]

An Avatar: the Last Airbender plotbunny

By

EvilFuzzy9

It is a curious fact about storytelling and human nature that, while accounts of danger and drama and other such things that are never pleasant to experience firsthand may stretch out long in the telling, the storyteller laboring long and hard over every minute detail, accounts of plenty and peace and amiable contentment will almost invariably be only mentioned in passing, glossed over with a paragraph or two of description, and no more. Perhaps it is not something that is of the greatest credit to human nature, but people simply do not enjoy stories where everything is simple and peaceful.

Stories require conflict to be compelling, it is said. Whether it be external or internal, grandiose or petty, conflict is the key to an interesting tale. A chapter of nothing but descriptions of food and beds and calm, peaceful times is scarcely more than fluff if not done well. And even then, many find such inane, banal details to be detestable and boring to uttermost degree.

Thus, I, in my role as the weaver and teller of this particular tale, shall do my best not to bore you overmuch by lingering on matters of little import in the grand scheme of things (or even the lesser scheme).

The next few days, things were peaceful for the Gaang.

After Aang got back from his meeting with King Kuei to see Suki doing Katara's hair with Momo sleeping in her lap while Sokka read some sort of adventure story to Toph, he had been relieved that no one was trying to kill anyone.

The rest of that day passed peacefully. He and the others gave Suki a proper tour of the house, and just hung out together for a few hours doing nothing of note or import. They ate lunch at some restaurant in the Middle Ring (the name of the establishment escaped them) before splitting up into separate groups to do their own thing.

Toph went to pay a visit to Iroh, while Sokka took Suki on a stroll in one of the nicer Upper Ring parks, and Aang and Katara took Appa out for a ride to give the Sky Bison some time to really stretch its legs. They all had a good time, and they returned to the house at varying times, all in good spirits.

The day after proceeded in a similarly pleasant, but ultimately uninteresting fashion, as well as the day after that. During this span of time, only a few things of interest happened to occur.

Sokka grinned as he unveiled his latest, proudest work to his girlfriend. He yanked the concealing cloth off from over the the canvas, revealing a painting.

Suki eyed it in interest.

The composition was, to put it bluntly, most amateur. The colors blended, but not entirely, and the perspective was a bit off-kilter. The lighting and shading were somewhat inconsistent, and the weak use of negative space leaved much to be desired. The anatomy was far precise, and quite frankly the painting did absolutely no justice to its subject matter.

And yet...

And yet Suki could not help but picture her boyfriend laboring over every line, every drop of paint. She could envision him focusing, his tongue peeking out the side of his mouth in that cute way of his as he concentrated intently on the composition and creation of his work. She could see in every slight splotch and imperfection all of the blood, sweat, and tears he put into this piece.

The painting was on all points mediocre at best, and yet Suki could not help the feeling of pride that blossomed in her chest as she looked at it. The portrait was not good by any stretch of the imagination, and yet when she looked at it all she could think of was how much effort her boyfriend must have put into his art to improve this much from the last time she saw him.

He still was a far cry from being called an artist by anyone who wasn't a fat, rich, collector, but to Suki that didn't matter. As far as she was concerned, even for all its flaws, and all its mediocrity, this portrait might as well have been a masterpiece of the highest order for how much emotion it managed to evoke in her.

"So?" Sokka asked her earnestly, such a genuine, innocent, eager expression on his face that Suki's heart melted that much more. "What do you think?"

Suki smiled at him.

"I love it," she said, with all the sincerity of a parent who takes one look at their child's crude, crayon scribbles and proclaims it a masterpiece, proudly pinning it to the door of their fridge with a refrigerator magnet.

Sokka beamed, and he looked every bit as pleased as he could ever possibly be.

"Really?!"

Suki's smile widened as she planted a soft peck on his cheek.

"Really," she said, her eyes glimmering like lipid pools as she looked into his deep blue lamps. "I'd be proud to hang it in my living room."

Sokka chuckled. "Would definitely be one heck of a conversation starter," he agreed with a nod. But then his smile faltered slightly. "Do you really think that would be appropriate, though?"

"Of course it would," insisted Suki. "It's an artful nude, nothing inappropriate."

Sokka grinned broadly.

"I still don't think I did the original any justice," he said, growling suggestively and waggling his eyebrows at his girlfriend.

Suki rolled her eyes, though she was also giggling a bit.

"I dunno. I think it looks just like me," she said. It was only a half-lie – the painting really was a striking likeness of her, even as amateurishly done as it was.

"Well, how about we compare them?" Sokka suggested playfully. "Just to be sure."

"Of course," said Suki. "Just give me half a second."

She then grabbed one of Sokka's (clean) socks, which she proceeded to hang outside the teen's door, to let everyone know they were "busy".

"Hey, Sugar Queen," said Toph, greeting Katara as she walked across the zen garden to where the Water Tribe girl was meditating beside a small koi pond. "I just thought of something."

Katara cracked an eyelid open, curiously quirking an eyebrow at the younger girl. She did not leave her lotus position, though.

"What?" she asked.

"You remember how you and Sokka and Aang were telling the story of Princess Yue to that crowd at the Jasmine Dragon?"

Katara frowned thoughtfully. She did recall the three of them sharing stories of their past adventures at Iroh's tea shop, though she had difficulty recalling any specific examples right off the top of her head.

"Yeah," she said. "I think so. Why?"

Toph grinned, and set herself down on the ground beside Katara.

"Well, Yue was a princess, right? Even though she was Water Tribe?"

"Well, yes," said Katara, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, even though Toph wouldn't realistically have been able to see the gesture. "One would assume as much from the fact that she was called Princess Yue. And," she added, her nose wrinkling slightly, "being Water Tribe is not exclusive with being royalty."

"Okay, okay," said Toph, "No need to get snippy – I just wanted to make sure. Well, anyways, Yue was a princess because she was the daughter of the Norther Water Tribe's chief, right?"

"Correct," said Katara, uncertain what the girl's point was.

"And you and Snoozles are the kids of the Southern Water Tribe's chief, right?"

"...Right," said Katara, still not completely sure where Toph was going with this.

Toph smirked, looking as though she knew something no one else did. "Then wouldn't that make the two of you a princess and a prince?"

Katara nearly choked, recalling something Sokka had said to Yue back what seemed so long ago.

"N-not really..." she said, after getting her breathing back under control. "The Northern Tribe has been around a lot longer than the Southern one. And also..."

Katara paused, feeling just a little uncomfortable.

"...well, while I know that neither I or Sokka like being called peasants or savages, in all honesty... Compared to the Northern Tribe, the South Pole lost a lot during the war. Our entire people were reduced to single, tiny village. We had no waterbenders, no scholars, no art or literature or anything. Our culture was all but eradicated by the Fire Nation," she explained grimly. "Even if you WERE to call me and Sokka royalty, what would be royalty of?" she asked. "This iceberg? That snowdrift? Those elderly tribesmen? These little children?"

Katara shook her head.

"Even if you were to call me a princess," she continued, "it still wouldn't mean anything. I would just be princess of a few snow huts. Sokka would just be prince of fifty people, at most."

It was quiet for a moment, and Katara sighed. Now, after saying all of that, she was simply too worked up and distressed to focus on her meditation. She flopped down on her back, stretching out her legs and letting her feet dangle in the koi pond.

Then Toph said something that caught her off guard.

"Are you sure?"

Katara blinked.

"Huh?" she said intelligently.

"Are you sure?" Toph repeated. "You say you and Snoozles aren't really royalty because your culture was wiped out, but I don't believe you. If it was really wiped out, truly, completely destroyed, then why do you exist? If the Southern Water Tribe has really lost its culture, then why do you call yourself Southern Water Tribe?"

The blind girl scoffed.

"Just because you grew up in a little village with no real books, no fancy pants art galleries and junk, can you really say your culture was destroyed? No, I don't believe that," she said firmly. "You still exist. And so does Sokka, and your dad, and your Gran-Gran, and all those other warriors and tribesmen. I don't no about art or literature, but isn't it the people that define a culture, anyways?" she asked. "You're still alive. You still have an identity as Water Tribe. That's enough of a culture for me.

"And the way I see it," she continued, "you and Snoozles are already as good as royalty – and I'm not talking about who you're dad is, either. You're friends with some of the most powerful and important people in the world: the Fire Lord, the Earth King, me..." she trailed off, a smug look on her face. "Frankly, if there's anything I've learned growing up as a Bei Fong, it's that status is all about who you know. And you and Sokka know all the right people. Besides, the Southern Water Tribe is rebuilding now, isn't it? It won't just be some little village, any more. It'll grow again, and recover and advance, thanks to you and Snoozles. The way I see it, if you two started calling yourselves a prince and princess, nobody will question it."

Katara blinked, mouth agape. She was silent for a moment, before finally speaking.

"I... never thought about it like that," the waterbender admitted, looking sheepish. Then she shook her head. "Still, though... I don't know if I would really be... comfortable... with the idea. I've never thought of us as royalty, so it would seem weird to start doing so now."

"Eh," said Toph with a shrug. "Everyone's gotta start somewhere."

Aang sighed contentedly as he took a sip of tea. He was seated at a table in the Jasmine Dragon, a teacup in hand and a plate with a red bean bun before him.

It was a slow time of day in the tea shop – there were only a few customers present here and there, and most of them were regulars who were completely unfazed by the presence of the Avatar at this establishment. Above the door hung a sign with the phrase "Better three days without food, than one without tea," written on it in Iroh's casually flowing calligraphy.

Iroh, dressed in a modest Earth Kingdom fashion, grinned at the look on the boy's face.

"How do you like my new blend, Aang?" he inquired conversationally.

"It's kind of sweet," Aang replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "But also... tangy? Sour?" He hummed. "It's an interesting combination, I can say that."

"Yes, it is," said Iroh. "Not the most popular of my new blends, but it certainly has its fans."

"I can see why," Aang said, taking another sip. "It's very refreshing."

"So I am told," Iroh replied, "Though I am myself partial to more traditional brews, this lemon tea is certainly enjoyable on its own merits. It is particularly beloved by students at the University of Ba Sing Se."

"And I think I can see why," said Aang, draining his cup appreciatively. "It is good."

"I am glad to hear that," said Iroh. "And I imagine it will do you some good. Even the Avatar needs to relax, after all."

Aang smiled softly, but he was sighing. "Yeah," he said quietly. "It's not an easy job."

"No job worth doing ever is," said Iroh sagely.

"You think so?"

"I know so," he replied.

Aang's smile widened, and he laughed. "Yeah, I think you're probably right," he agreed.

Iroh chortled along with him.

A/N: You know what scenes are probably the hardest for me to write?

The tea ones. I know basically nothing about tea, aside from stuff I've picked up from ATLA fanfiction or Davian Korran over at Broken Forum (who happens to be doing a nice Let's Play of Dragon Age Origins). Seriously, I think the only time I can remember ever drinking tea on my life was, actually, on the day of the premier of The Painted Lady, when I had a horrendous cold and needed some way to soothe it. But needless to say, if any of you know anything about tea and feel the need to correct me on something regarding tea, please feel free to do so.

Also, yes, I suppose one could argue that this is maybe a filler chapter, possibly, but it had to be done. Maybe. The scene with Sokka and Suki, at any rate, was one that I'd had in my head for a while, and this chapter gave me an excuse to do it. And Katara talking about the Southern Water Tribe's culture being all but wiped out was based on something from a creator commentary on one of the Season One finale episodes.

As always, please review and let me know what you thought! For all I know, you guys have hated the last two chapters. XP

TTFN and R&R!